Clinical Research Directory

Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy 2 (CHAP2) Pilot Project

The CHAP2 study is designed to provide preliminary data for a larger multicenter study to assess whether treatment of stage 1 hypertension (HTN) in pregnancy improves maternal and or neonatal outcomes. The primary objective of this pilot study is to determine if anti-HTN treatment to BP\<130/80mmHg in pregnant patients with stage 1 HTN is associated with a difference in birthweight percentile at delivery. Patients with stage 1 hypertension in pregnancy will be randomized to BP goals of \<130/80mmHg or usual care to treatment only if BPs ≥140/90mmHg. For this pilot, the investigator will randomize a total of 74 eligible participants, 37 to active treatment to BP\<130/80mmHg and 37 to usual care.

Telehealth and Remote Blood Pressure

The purpose of this research study is to compare the management of chronic hypertension during pregnancy using telehealth visits with blood pressure telemonitoring and health coaching as compared to standard in person clinic visits. The study involves pregnant woman aged 18-45 who are receiving care for chronic hypertension. Participation in this research study will last until their baby is delivered. The number of in-person clinic visits depends on the participant's treatment assignment. Those assigned to telehealth visits will have telehealth visits alternating with clinic visits every two weeks until the end of pregnancy week 31. Those assigned to telehealth visits will also have five sessions with a health coach via telephone or video from the time of enrollment until the end of pregnancy week 36.

A Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trial of DAPAgliflozin (DAPA) for Cardiovascular Risk Reduction in the Postpartum Period of Hypertensive Pregnancies (HP)

This trial is a pilot-scale, single institution randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of administering dapagliflozin for cardiovascular risk reduction in the postpartum period. The target population is patients at high risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes within five years post-delivery. Eligible participants will be randomized to receive either: 1) dapagliflozin (10mg daily) for six months (DAPA group) or 2) an orally administered, daily placebo (Control group). The study hypothesizes: The dapagliflozin group will have higher cardiovascular risk reduction scores than the Control Group.

The Effect of Hydroxytyrosol Administration on Superoxide Dismutase, Pulsatility Index and Resistance Index of Uterine Artery Doppler and Flow-Mediated Dilatation of Brachial Artery In Mothers With Hypertension In Pregnancy

The purpose of this clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of hydroxytyrosol 10 mg/day administered for 4 weeks in pregnant individuals with hypertension. This study will assess whether hydroxytyrosol increases serum superoxide dismutase levels, reduces uterine artery Doppler pulsatility and resistance indices, and improves brachial artery flow-mediated dilation. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either hydroxytyrosol or a matching placebo. Both products will be visually identical to ensure blinding. Participants will take two capsules daily for 4 weeks and attend two study visits for assessments and follow-up.

Preeclampsia Postpartum Antihypertensive Treatment

The goal of this study is to compare whether antihypertensive treatment in the postpartum period decreases postpartum hypertension and its associated maternal morbidity, including risk of readmission and healthcare utilization in comparison with no treatment. Women with preeclampsia diagnosed during the antepartum, intrapartum or postpartum period will be randomized to either initiate antihypertensive treatment or standard of care. We hypothesize that postpartum antihypertensive treatment of patients with preeclampsia will decrease risk of hospital readmission, healthcare utilization and the number of severe range blood pressures at postpartum follow-up visits.

Postpartum Evaluation of Nifedipine and Enalapril for Hypertension

This is an open label, randomized controlled trial designed to compare nifedipine and enalapril in the management of postpartum hypertension. This is an equivalence study- meaning it is not expected one medication is better than the other. Nifedipine has been shown to be better than another common blood pressure medicine, labetalol, for postpartum hypertension but enalapril which is also used worldwide to manage blood pressure postpartum, has not yet been evaluated or compared to nifedipine. Investigators will identify and offer enrollment to women who are admitted for delivery with documented hypertension- participants with either chronic hypertension or pregnancy related hypertension will be included. Our hypothesis is both medications are safe and effective in managing blood pressure and preventing readmission for hypertensive complications during the postpartum period so evaluating the rate of readmission is the primary goal of the study. The only intervention of the trial will be to assign which medication the participant starts taking. Any decisions after that point- stopping medication, changing doses, additional medications, discharge from the hospital, etc, will all be at the discretion of the participant's primary provider.

Mindfulness & Mechanisms Study

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are the most common medical condition affecting pregnancy and a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality in the Unites States. HDP also increase lifetime cardiac disease risk in women and infants. Current interventions to prevent HDP are limited, and interventions that do not include medications are minimally effective at preventing HDP. Mindfulness interventions hold promise as a intervention to prevent HDP that does not require pregnant women to take medications. Past research shows that mindfulness interventions reduce blood pressure in adults with hypertension and pre-hypertension. However, past studies of mindfulness interventions for pregnant women have not allowed women at risk for HDP to participate. The preliminary study of prenatal mindfulness training for women at risk for HDP demonstrated benefit on maternal blood pressure and fetal growth. However, the mechanisms explaining effects of prenatal mindfulness training on risk for HDP are unknown. Building upon these promising preliminary findings, the proposed clinical trial will measure daily experiences of stress, physiological reactivity to stress, and interpersonal processes before and after prenatal mindfulness training. The investigators hypothesize that mindfulness training will impact these processes, which may lead to improved maternal cardiovascular parameters and reduced risk for HDP. N=150 pregnant women at risk for HDP will be randomized to an 8-week phone-delivered mindfulness intervention or usual care. For every participant, we will measure maternal cardiovascular parameters (24-hour blood pressure and uterine artery resistance values by ultrasound Doppler) before and after the 8-week period. All participants will complete surveys of daily experiences for 2 weeks before and after the 8-week period to evaluate mechanisms of mindfulness training on maternal cardiovascular parameters. Daily experiences will be measured using surveys delivered via smartphone-app, ambient audio sampling, and wearable wrist-worn biosensor monitoring (heart rate and heart rate variability).

Supporting Transitions to Primary Care Among Under-resourced, Postpartum Women (STEP-UP)

STEP-UP will promote linkage to primary care and ongoing chronic disease evaluation for postpartum women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

Enhancing Intergenerational Health in Nigeria: Peripartum as Critical Life Stage for Cardiovascular Health

The purpose of the ENHANCE-CVH study is to promote intergenerational cardiovascular health (CVH) of women and children in Abuja and the surrounding Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria. The study team plans to achieve this through an adaptation of an existing evidence based intervention - Parents as Teachers (PAT) curriculum + Healthy Eating Active Living Taught at Home (HEALTH) - among pregnant women with obesity and their children in Nigeria. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of community health educator-led delivery of the PAT+HEALTH intervention via home visits to answer the following main questions: * Will the women participating in the intervention have a greater change in weight from baseline to 18-month follow up compared to the women who do not? * Will the women and children in the intervention group display better CVH promoting lifestyle behaviors compared to those in the control group? Participants in the study will complete baseline surveys and have clinical data, lab data, and body measurements captured. Participants will also have these procedures repeated at birth and every 6 months up to 24 months post-delivery. Once randomized to the intervention group, participants will complete 40 biweekly PAT+HEALTH curriculum delivery sessions, each lasting approximately 60-90 minutes.

Rhode Island - Statewide Postpartum Hypertension Remote Surveillance

This is a hybrid type 1 non-inferiority implementation effectiveness trial among postpartum patients with hypertension (N=1536) that will test the hypothesis that RI-SPHERES (a technologically enabled collaborative care model) is non-inferior to a standard self-measured blood pressure program in terms of persistent hypertension at six weeks postpartum and preventive care receipt within one year of delivery.

Moms@Home: A Storytelling-based Mobile Health Intervention to Improve Blood Pressure Management in Pregnancy

This pilot study will examine the effects of a digital health approach, Moms@Home, on home blood pressure monitoring in a diverse population of pregnant women with hypertension.

Mobile Health Interventions to Prevent Heart Disease After Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

The purpose of this research is to study digital health interventions to prevent cardiovascular disease in individuals who have had a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP).

Conical Forearm and Cylindrical Upper Arm Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (NIBP) Measurements in Pregnant Patients

The diagnosis of hypertensive disease during pregnancy is predicated on strict blood pressure thresholds: 140/90 on at least two occasions measured four hours apart for both gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. An improvement in diagnostic accuracy of even 5mm Hg would be significant, as reflected by the US Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), the British Hypertension Society, the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) Working Group on Blood Pressure (BP) Monitoring, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)consensus for validation of non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) devices during pregnancy. Given the known inaccuracies of upper arm cylindrical cuff measurements in morbidly obese patients, a conical cuff which provides more accurate measurements will translate into direct patient benefit via more informed diagnosis and management. Fewer women may be exposed to unnecessary treatment, preterm delivery, and/or cesarean section. Recognizing the increasing prevalence of morbid obesity and hypertensive disease amongst pregnant women in the United States, the identification of a more accurate non-invasive cuff is desperately needed. Increasing the accuracy of NIBP measurements on Labor and Delivery has the potential to directly impact the management of tens of thousands of morbidly obese pregnant women diagnosed with hypertensive disease in the United States every year. Establishing the level of agreement between conical forearm and cylindrical upper arm cuffs will shed light on the presence and magnitude of any disparity between measurement methods. STUDY ENDPOINTS: Primary Outcome Measures: * Agreement between conical and cylindrical cuff systolic blood pressure across groups * Agreement between conical and cylindrical cuff diastolic blood pressure across groups Secondary Outcome Measures: • Agreement between conical and cylindrical cuff mean arterial pressure

Inorganic Nitrate Supplementation in Chronic Hypertensive Pregnancies

High blood pressure during pregnancy poses significant risks to both the mother and baby. A combination of factors, including advancing maternal age, rising obesity rates, and metabolic health issues, have amplified the prevalence of this condition. While conventional medicines are available, safety during pregnancy remains a concern. Recent studies suggest that inorganic nitrate might be a safer alternative. The power of nitrate lies in its ability to stimulate the body's production of a compound that aids in dilating and relaxing blood vessels. Preliminary studies conducted on mice and a select group of pregnant women have yielded encouraging results. Early tests indicated that after consuming inorganic nitrate, there was a reduction in blood pressure and an improvement in the health of the mother's uterine artery-a vital vessel responsible for nourishing the fetus. Our study aims to investigate the effects of inorganic nitrate supplementation on pregnant women from the start of their pregnancy and continuing it throughout their term. If our findings are positive, it could revolutionize how we approach blood pressure management during pregnancy, paving the way for healthier futures for both mothers and babies.

Sleep Improvement Therapy Affects Pregnancy Outcomes in Chinese Singletons and Twins by Improving Sleep Quality

During pregnancy, the physical and psychological changes of pregnant women, hyperemesis gravidarum, uterine compression, frequent urination, hip or pelvic pain, back pain, leg cramps, gastroesophageal reflux, changes in mental state, and even changes in lifestyle, habits and tastes may affect the sleep of pregnant women. Due to the coexistence of physiological, psychological, social and other complex factors during pregnancy, the incidence of sleep disorders in pregnant women is relatively high, up to 50%, and shows an increasing trend with the increase of gestational week. Not only seriously affect the quality of life of pregnant women, but also may lead to a variety of pregnancy complications, and even lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Therefore, early identification, timely diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders during pregnancy are important measures to improve or even reverse adverse pregnancy outcomes. Although sleep disorders are more common and seriously harmful during pregnancy, people lack of understanding and attention to such diseases, and often regard them as normal clinical manifestations of pregnancy and neglect diagnosis and treatment. Studies have shown that maternal sleep disorders are associated with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes. Current research objects mainly focus on single pregnancy, twin related research is less. The purpose of this study is to explore the perinatal sleep health of pregnant women with twin pregnancies, reduce the complications of pregnant women with twin pregnancies and improve the pregnancy outcomes of mothers and infants by improving sleep quality.

Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy - the Neonatal Burden of Disease

Around one in ten women have high blood pressure in pregnancy. This is potentially serious, with risks to the woman and her baby. Whilst maternal deaths from high blood pressure in pregnancy are now rare in the UK, blood pressure problems in pregnancy still cause many stillbirths and early births. Studies have shown that women of Black and Asian backgrounds are more likely to have worse pregnancy outcomes when blood pressure problems in pregnancy develop. This study aims to: i) describe the burden of disease of high blood pressure in pregnancy amongst babies admitted to neonatal units on a national scale. ii) investigate outcomes for babies born to women with high blood pressure in pregnancy admitted to UK neonatal units across maternal ethnic groups. To complete this study, we will use the National Neonatal Research Database, which holds population-level data for all babies admitted to neonatal units (where unwell babies receive care) in the UK. We will look at records of babies admitted to neonatal units in England and Wales between 2012 and 2020. The records will include information on over half a million babies and their mothers. We will assess how many babies admitted to neonatal units were born to women who had high blood pressure in pregnancy. We will report the outcomes of these babies, and how they compare to babies born to women without high blood pressure in pregnancy. We will analyse whether outcomes for babies born to women with high blood pressure in pregnancy varies according to maternal ethnicity, and investigate what may be driving differences we find.

The Outcomes of Hypertension in Obese Versus Non-obese Pregnant Women

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, include pre-existing and gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia, it complicates up to 10% of pregnancies and represents a significant cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Following the "National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy" recommendation is currently a systolic blood pressure (SBP) ⩾ of 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ⩾ of 90 mmHg. The diagnosis generally requires two separate measurements. Accepted across international guidelines are the following four categories: Chronic/pre-existing hypertension (Hypertension discovered preconception or prior to 20 weeks gestation), Gestational hypertension (Hypertension that appears de novo after 20 weeks gestation and normalizes after pregnancy), Preeclampsia-eclampsia (De novo hypertension after 20 weeks' gestation accompanied by proteinuria, other features of maternal organ dysfunction or uteroplacental dysfunction), Chronic/pre-existing hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia-eclampsia. Over the past 2 decades, extensive epidemiologic studies have clearly established that obesity is a major risk for gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. The risk of preeclampsia typically doubles with each 5-7 kg/m2 increase in pre-pregnancy. The mechanisms have only been partially explored; increased cytokine-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress, increased shear stress, dyslipidemia, and increased sympathetic activity1 have all been proposed as possible pathways. Few studies have examined the relationship between pre-pregnancy BMI, gestational weight gain (GWG), and the risk of preeclampsia. So, our study aims to evaluate the adverse maternal and fetal outcomes related to hypertension in obese and non-obese pregnant women.

Labetalol or Nifedipine for Control of Postpartum Hypertension: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Randomized trial comparing risk of hospital readmission and hypertensive complications between patients managed on Labetalol compared to Nifedipine.

Cardiovascular Longitudinal ALSPAC Research Investigations Following Hypertensive Pregnancy in Young Adulthood

The purpose of this study is to understand more about why young people who were born to a hypertensive pregnancy may have increased risk of high blood pressure and are often at increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease later in life.